Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-12-07
THE ROANE VENDETTA,
About Some Deteetiyes-A Tribute to the
Dead.

becoming more and more Of chestnut"
Detective Burnett seems now TO be the
grand high muck-a-muck Of the proceed
ingS, and is working the advertising racket
for oil it is worth. Poor ALI is daily, nay,
hourly, killed and quartered in the most
inhuman manner, and mis- mangled re-
mains must now be strewn over ct least a
dozen counties contiguous to the scene Of
the late unpleasantneSs. Like BanQuO's
ghost, however, he will not down." but
manages to bob up serenely" for an in
terview with the newspaper boys here,
there and everywhere at the same time;
and so narrowing and blood-curdling and
ingeniously woven together are they
that Theo. Boyd the Haggard Of the
Ohio Valley, has crawled into his
hole while ALI has the boards, realizing
that for the time being more imaginative
genius than himself has the chair. Alt
gained almost a national reputation IN
connection with the Ashland horror
several years ago, but somehow or other
the bottom dropped ont OF his theory and
he suffered a collapse. Will the present
occasion prove another Waterloo for the
ubiquitous and ambitious trailer, or will
he emerge covered with glory enough Tor !
q whole battalion of ordinary mOrtalS? The
latter, let us hope.
And speaking Of ALI reminds me OF
slight incident IN his career that may be
worth line or two. Ole day just before
noon, in the bright, glad past, quiet fam
lily were seated around their blazing hearth
in an interior village. Ol harm they
dreamed not, but on each face happiness
beamed with ali the gTSciousness OF a new
born day, and their hearts were lighter
than the snowflake that falls at evening
through the star-lit realms of space. Sud-
denly, without warning, through the door
way stalked two figures Of august mein
and eyes Of sternest glitter. Without so
much Us a word, they walked the whole
length of the room aud, while the happy
family aforesaid sat speeches. in their
chairs, dotted the huge coats they wore and
laid them on a table. Merciful heaven !
strapped upon each back was a murderous
horse pistol. With a shrek the women
flew from the room, and the IA
pale rs c5hes. Ole. more daring
than all the rest, leaped through a window
and broke his arm on the frozen ground !
outside. CoOlly and deliberately the two
strangers unslung their weapons, and just |
as the natives were about to drop or their |
hunkers and cry for mercy, the senior in |
truder raised his eyebrows and moustache, |
and through his two perfect rows Of teeth |
spake softly thus:
Dinner for two, if it please thee, land
lord -
The landlord Tor landlady, as it proved |
to be in this case, h&d long since slid !
through the door TO place OF safety, and |
it was only after much coaXiCg that she
could he induced to euter the dining
room aud prePoTe for her uuwel-
come guests; and it was with great fear
and trembling that dinner was served
that day. The humble writer hereof was
present upon that occasion, and ContesseS
that he, too, was OyeIjoyed when the mys.
FERROUS p.rsOuages disclosed their identity.
Twas only AT and one of his lieutsnants
out on = little lark. The CONSERVATION
was exactly as have described it, and
under the circumstances is not 10 be won
dered at He fingered with us for brief
while, made many acquaintsnces, vas not
backward in chasing the ducks" and if
one lacked partner 1t seven up or
poker" ne smilingly volunteered bis ser
vices I found him to he an Old newsoa-
per boy. and liberal patron OF the press
and paying one at that.
And 80 Pat Kenny is no more. | confess
that when the news Of his demise reached
me was shocked, for | have never seen
bis equal. In the breasts of those who
knew him land his friends and aCquaint-
ancss were legiOu), there certainly can be
only the most poignant grief felt over his
departure. Pat Kenny was q genius IN
every Gcceptation of the work-brilliant
and witty TO an extraordinary degree. A
graduate of Dublin University, he came
TO this country in 1858. There he met
and mingled With few choice spirits who
have since grown famous in the walks Of
literature, and fora while lived the pTeca-
rious life ofa Bohemian. City life becoming
distasteful, he sluDg his shilalah over his
shoulder, buCklel his leather belt around
his waist and turned his steps country
ward, The date OF his advent into West
Virginia do not now remember, but my
acquaintance with him dates back to u.
He was probably known throughout the
length and breadth of the State, and his
varied attainments were a constant wonder
TO those who knew the man. He was
simply a phenomenon, and, withal, so
modest, so unasSuming, so utterly blind to
his own marvellous accomplishments as to
be a source of genuine surprise and delight
to his friends His vocabulary as a writer
was inexhaustible. beautiful and appropri-
ate, and never saw him az loss for word or
an idea. He was lat home" in any branch
of literature; his prose was poetry, his
pOetry was the happy union OF taultleSs |
nd ff,l
fancy. As historian he was in his ele-
ment. have seen the deepest scholars /
endesyor to puzzle him with the most alb
struse questions, and they have retired |
yanquished. The history of the whole
world seemed to be at his tongues end, |
and without moments hesitation he |
could give any information desired of any |
country, any incident As an editorialist |
he was sound 10 the core, and many Of his
articles have gone sounding over the
State. although the writer's identity re-
msinsd hidden. He was a wandeTer,
seeking the solitude o. rural re-
treats rather than the more populated
towns. With blank book in hand he |
would wander of into the businesses, and
for days at q time pay court to the beau
ties of nature. PaStoUsls were his hobby, |
and among his unpublishe3,-riia /
ara many deljc2:S specimens Of tlat simple |
-stE4e. Occasionally he wandered into |
country printing office and FOR several
weeks following his advent therein there |
was marked change in the tor and mat
ter of the paper. Witty paragraphs, |
snatches of rhyme, brainy leaders, rack
cts" Eanciful ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
tending to delight reading community
were dashed OF in profusion, and |
the modest sheet would suddenly |
spring into immense popularity, both |
AZ home and abroad. As suddenly as he |
had come would he vanish, perhaps unex-
pectedly returning after several years to
take Temporary charge again. Thus did |
he live during all the years hesPentamong |
us, at rare intervals only seeking more
lively scenes.
Years ago he found himself, one bright
spring morning, wandering aimlessly along |